Yarra Valley Wine and Winery Tour from Melbourne

Enjoyable experience

Great Tour with plenty of time to taste the wines & take in all the information Soumah winery the last one we visited was the best in terms of information plus a couple of nice wines even got to taste a couple not originally planned which was great & the young man running the tasting was very knowledgeable & passionate Lastly the tour operator was brilliant

Wonderful wineries

Beautiful lunch and great wineries. The driver was very knowledgeable. It was good value. It was a full day of fun.

Fun trip

A fun wine tour. Also safer, since we didn't have to drive after tasting. We liked all the wineries we visited, especially Rochford. Lunch was nice too. Our guide, Tony, was knowledgeable and funny. He even drove through the Country Club so we could see kangaroos. Would recommend.

Great tour to learn and taste delicious Australian wines

The overall wine tour was fabulous. We got to learn about the great Australian wines. The bus driver/ tour guide was excellent. Worthwhile tour.

Ok if you don't mind ringing of the ears

This tour could be amazing but it is detracted from one of the drivers Tony, who makes it all about him. From the incessant and deafening microphone commentary (which is irrelevant to anything about the tour) ensuring that half the party is either asleep or irritated before the first stop. I would advise if you book a tour, that you check who is driving because this was an experience I wish my group had avoided especially given it was for my friends birthday and was meant to be a special occasion.

Great day. Beautiful...

Great day. Beautiful wineries and a lovely lunch. Driver was terrific. Would recommend this tour to anyone who likes wine.

Lovely Day out!

We visited the Yarra Valley with friends on the Aus Wine Company tour and had a great day out. We were collected promptly from Melbourne CBD and visit 4 vineyards before arriving back around 6pm. Lunch was delightful at Balgowie Estate and we tried many different types of wine during the day. Yering Farm was a standout favourite, as it’s an amazing setting with good wine. We also tried their cider and it was very good, especially on the hot day we were there. We would highly recommend and we will hopefully do it again someday!

Recommended

The scenery, the wineries, lunch were all spectacular. The tour Guide/Bus driver was very well informed about the local history of the area and the wineries. He was also very patient with some of the tour group. Very funny man as well, made for a perfect day. Well organised

Wonderful Yarra Valley

We had a wonderful day visiting 4 vineyards in the Yarra. Pick up was on time and Tony our guide and driver was informative and entertaining. The lunch at Balgownie was delicious. Recommend if you haven’t been to the Yarra Valley.

Great tour

Had a great lunch and the very nice wines. Terry was knowledgeable and funny and made sure we saw kangaroos. The scenery was absolutely stunning. Highly recommend this tour.

Beautiful wineries, great experience!

Matt our guide was awesome! He had great energy and gave us some facts about the valley! Balgownie had fantastic, high quality wine and lunch - definitely the best spot! The wine at the other wineries was ok but the vineyards and farms were beautiful and it was a great day!!!

A very enjoyable day out.

Fun and informative driver Good variety of vineyards, very enjoyable lunch. Enthusiastic cellar door staff, interesting hearing about the different grape varieties etc

Not Your Usual Wine Tasting

The overall experience of the Yarra Valley Wine and Winter Tour was positive. Was there things the tour company could have done better? Yes and we will get to a couple of recommendations shortly. The pick up at selected locations in Melbourne went smoothly. When the 20 or so passenger coach arrived we noticed it wasn't a late model year vehicle. In fact it looked rather dated but the seats were comfortable, the ventilation system worked, and the sound over the public address system was clear. Our coach driver was Gary and that is what he did. He drove the coach. From the last pick up location to the first wine tasting is around an hours drive through the city of Melbourne, then the outskirts of the city, and then into the wine country. A pleasant drive with varying scenery. The wine tour consists of four different wineries with a very nice lunch prepared at the second winery. All of the wineries provide a nice narrative of their different wines. All of them gave us a nice sampling of their wines. Since everyone's taste is different we'll defer preferring one winery over another and suffice to say each was unique in their own way. The weather with intermittently overcast with periodic scatter showers and blustery winds. This didn't allow us to enjoy much of the outdoor facilities available. The scenery from the coach was nice and allowed those wishing to take photos to snap away. The question is what could have gone differently to change the rating from 4 stars to 5 stars. The answer is Gary. He was the coach driver and performed those tasks to an exceptional high standard. During the over the an hour drive to the first winery and again in the over an hour drive back from the last winery he offered no information about the wine region or any other general information about the Yarra Valley or Melbourne area. He did allow us to listen to his favorite talk radio station. No music or just turn the radio off to have silence. Had Gary offered some informative information going to or returning from the wineries the overall experience would have been heightened. Perhaps we are spoiled by having done many other coach tours with guide/driver who provide general information about the local area and insights on what we have to look forward to as the day progresses. Did we get what we paid for? Yes. Could the experience been heightened? Yes, without a great deal of extra effort. Would we recommend the same tour to friends? Yes, with the caveat to be forewarned about Gary.

An enjoyable day in the Yarra Valley

Everyone at the wineries was so nice and friendly and each place we visited was a little different and unique in its own way. Our driver was very friendly and kept us entertained with banter and little bits of I formation throughout the day, very enjoyable indeed and would highly recommend.

Pleasant day out

This is one for the white wine and light red drinkers! We had great weather for the tour and the views were stunning. The wines were fine but, being a ‘full bodied’ wine fan, I learnt more about what I don’t like than what I do and didn’t spend my wine budget. I did walk away with some great cider, though, that was a nice surprise! Lunch was good but I would have liked some choice with the glass of wine served at lunch (maybe choose the one we liked best at the tasting?). The final stop, Soumah, gave very small tastings - as other reviewers have mentioned - only 1cm and not enough to really taste properly. Overall a pleasant day out.

Yarra Valley in a day!

A good sample of vineyards - from family run to resort style. The wines offered and explained to us showed what to expect in the region Lunch at Balgownie was a highlight.

Wine tour extraordinary

Tony was a great driver, very entertaining and knowledgeable. Enjoyed the winery’s and food. Scenery beautiful.

Spectacular lunch and wine

This was a wonderful tour through the Yarra valley. Each winery had its own small unique feel. Lunch at Balgownie was delicious. The resort was also beautiful. A great place to stay the next time we are in this area. The guide was also very entertaining and provided very interesting info about the wine tasting.

Great wine tour

Tony gave a great tutorial in the art of tasting wine. He is well versed in the wine industry, was personable and thoughtful with all of us on the tour. Definitely would recommend Tony's tour.

Great experience

Great way to taste multiple wines. We totally recommend it if you want to get taste of multiple wines produced by various companies.

Lovely day out

What a great day , we were picked up on time and it took an hour to get to our first vineyard. Lovely scenery on the way . All of the vineyards were lovely and we met and chatted to different couples on the tour , it was a lovely mix of older and younger people . Great bus driver too.

Beautiful day, delicious wine, great people

I was worried as a 20-something solo traveler that a wine tour on a weekday would have me drinking with retirees and struggling to fit into the group, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I had a wonderful day on this tour and made friends with several couples of all different ages and nationalities. All 4 vineyards we visited were incredible and I'm especially happy we got our guide Peter's advice about talking up the tasting guide at the winery; I had a chat with the guide at the last spot and ended up with an extra tasting of their reserve Viognier! It also helped that it was a gorgeous day, and we got to take our wine outside in the sun. Overall an excellent experience, I could not recommend this tour enough to anyone who loves their wine!

Disturbed tour off nice vineyards

The pick-up was half an hour late because they decided to wait for guests who were late. They were very loud so it was difficult to hear what the tour guide said. And when I told him that problem, he said…well it’s delicate…and did nothing. The choice of vineyards was great. And the meal was good.

First time Yarra Valley

Yarra valley is a place where any wine foodie should go. So many wine doors to visit with amazing tastings available. Plan your trip!

I trip worth a lot.

Experiencing Australian wine first hand, meeting local Winemakers, great sceneries and natures. Not to forget delicious lunch which we weren't expected. Important, very knowledgeable and kind guide/driver.

Highly recommend!

Absolutely amazing experience, would highly recommend to anyone visiting Melbourne. Great selection of wines, the lunch was amazing and so were the views!

Great Wine Day

This was a great day. We toured four different wineries and lots of tastings both red and white. A wonderful lunch was included at one of the wineries. Our driver for the day was also very informative about tbe wine of this region!

Soak in some Yarra Wine

The last tour of our Melbourne trip was with Tony! on his Yarra Valley Wine trip which we thought would be ideal as we love wine and sure enough it was excellent. The four vineyards were brilliant, welcoming and fully of wine knowledge to help the group through the superb wines we were able to sample. The representative of each vineyard gave us 5 or 6 samples of whites, rose, red and even sparkling wines! plus at one we were given a sample of cider, something I don't enjoy but found this one very good. As you will be totally aware wine is all a matter of what suites your taste buds, some will be delicious to you but not others, thank god we don't all have the same tastes. Some of the wines were superb for me and some were surprising which is always good when sampling. We were even given an impromptu lesson in tasting which was great as I found out later some of the people were on their very first wine tasting experience, unlike ourselves.... Full marks to Tony and the tour, a great day out surrounded by beautiful scenery and imbibing wonderful wines.

Great wine experience

Great experience, meet lovely people & tasted delicious wines. Matt the driver was amazing, top guy.

Warranty Vineyards Tour

The wine portions at all the vineyards were very small with most of the party complaining about being short measured. Having less than 1cm in the glasses did not enable us to taste the wines properly. One of the wineries had very poor wine whereas the others were generally OK.

A lovely day full of great wine and scenery!

The drive through the Yarra Valley was comfortable. We got picked up by a very lovely and funny man, who drove us from vineyard to vineyard. We visited four vineyards, it was a nice blend of small and commercial. We tasted all kinds of wine and had lunch with a glass of wine of your choice. At every vineyard we tasted 4/5 different wines. It was the perfect amount of wine. It was a beautiful sunny day, with amazing wine and a great scenery. It’s a good opportunity to meet new people if you’re traveling by yourself. I did the tour alone and met some great people.

Good experience

It was a good experience to visit some wineries and taste the wines. Overall tour was conducted in a very professional manner and driver/guide was managed the time very well.

Great day

Great tour with a wonder variety of wines Driver was excellent and informative.All i all, a wonderful day although, to be honest, I don't remember all of the second half of the day.

Great tour for tourists

Wonderful knowledgeable commentary from our driver Brent. Enjoyed the lunch and our day. Would recommend to any tourist to get a sample of the Yarra Valley and their vineyards.

Good time on a rainy day

Great tour driver and winery stops on a rainy day. Thanks Tony enjoyed listening to your stories and for sharing your wine knowledge with us. We met some lovely people and enjoyed the day very much.

See above

Great wine, beautiful scenery, guide was very good , on time, we recommend this trip! Only problem was confirming with trip advisor. Not very efficient.

Disappointing

Wineries good. Tour guide spent most of the time talking to the first two rows of the bus to the exclusion of us at the back. Us from interstate would have liked more information on the area we were travelling through instead of sitting there feeling left out.

A Grape Experience

We had a wonderful day exploring four different vineyards. Pick up/drop off was simple and on time. Lunch was delicious and the diversity of tastings kept things interesting. Our driver and guide did a wonderful job keeping the day running smoothly. Would recommend.

Wine up and down the valley

It was an overall lovely experience… the vineyards were beautiful and we were so fortunate to have sunny weather. Our driver was super nice and accommodating. Well done!

Amazing experience

I booked it for my uncle and aunt they said they had really amazing time tasting wine I would recommend it for anyone

Nice food and wines but not too much more than that.

Nice wines and good selection of vineyards (we went to 4). Lunch was really nice too. It’s definitely more of just a wine tour (like get off the bus sample the wines and then onto the next) - No real tour / details of the vines / or wine making process / or how you should taste / smell the wine etc. The guide was nice and gave a bit of info on the way to the vineyards but again I’d say it seemed his role was more of a driver than a guide and he didnt come into the vineyards to explain anything about the wine etc, Overall a nice day but maybe just a bit less than I was expecting if I’m honest!

Very good guide, wonderful wines, delicious lunch , friendly tour group & great scenery.

Bright sunny day, affable & knowledgeable driver/guide, great scenery,tasty wines, delicious lunch . Very enjoyable day trip !

Great Day

Great day, wineries we visited were just beautiful, people on the bus were so lovely and Tony the driver was very knowledgeable and a lot of fun

Well worth the price list, such a fun day

We thoroughly enjoyed this your when in Melbourne, and it was certainly worth the price Booking online and paying was easy, and we received an email a few days before reminding us of timings and pick up point. Pickup was prompt and easy. The bus held about 25 people, so it was not too busy at all. The driver and tour guide Tony was very engaging and gave interesting insights as we drove to the yarra valley. You can tell he enjoys the job. There were 4 vineyards in total, number 1 greenstone was my fav ambience as you enjoyed the tasting on a deck with a fab view. Number 2 the estate where we had lunch, had a very rushed wine tasting where we didn't even sit down for it. They did however have some tasty wines we purchased and the lunch was tasty, highly recommended the pork pie! Barely remember the 3rd stop, we had a very quick tasting in a side room next to q very busy gift shop and then left The last place Saymuh was beautiful and the sommelier really knew his stuff! It was a lush end to a very enjoyable day.

Great experience!

This was a wonderful day! The tour was very well organized and we went to 4 really great wineries with really good wine selections and views. Would do again

Awesome Yarra

Great wine trip to the Yarra Valley Wine District. Knowledgeable guide and we visited some really good wineries. A few big operators but some good small batch wine producers also. It was a good mix and fun! Beautiful scenery and a guide that was entertaining!

What a great way to enjoy Yarra!

We chose this tour as the reviews of lunch at Balgownie sounded great and indeed it was! Enjoyed our barramundi and chicken very much with yet more wine over lunch. The plan was to visit Yarra Valley at the start of our trip, as we thought we could try more winery tours later on if we enjoyed it. As chance may have it, our driver came down with covid and the tour operator could not find a replacement in time. We ended up rescheduling the trip which meant we could only do Yarra once. Our table of 8 pax comprised of different nationalities from Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore and it was great fun! Of the four wineries, I enjoyed Soumah the most because of the wines, setting and a very knowledgeable and eloquent Soumah cellar door staff; a Singaporean who came to study in Australia, fell in love with wines and went on to make a career out of it. From his sharing, we learnt why there seemed to be more white and light wines at Yarra Valley. We also ended up buying the Savarro at Soumah as it seemed like something we could not get easily back home. At Balgownie, the NV Sparkling Cuvee Brut and NV Sparkling Shiraz were pretty memorable and I really regretted not buying. It is quite hard to find sparkling reds! We tried the most wines from Yering. The one that impressed us most was the 2019 Traitors Gate Shiraz which was made from grapes exclusively from Heathcote. The Farmyard sparkling apple cider was also quite refreshing. Greenstone was the first winery we visited and the wines were the least memorable. There was no introduction, just pouring. However, it was also the place where we got to know our table group best and had a good chat around the benches. We got back to the CBD at around 5pm, just in time for Happy Hour at an oyster bar. What a happy day!

Highly recommended

Great company, fantastic wine, wonderful lunch and Tony the tour guide was exceptional . Highly recommended

Great Intro into Yarra Wineries

I joined Australian Wine Tour Company for a full-day tour of the Yarra Valley wineries. It was well paced and great fun. We hit four wineries but never felt rushed. Each of the wineries had a distinct personality so it was a nice cross section of tastings. The included lunch was very nice. And the driver/guide was super friendly yet efficient. Highly recommended.

Good way to sample the wines that Yarra Valley has to offer

This was a very good tour. Plenty of wines to sample and a nice lunch included at one of the vinyards. There was also a good variety of different types of wine to sample. Our guide, Tony was knowledgeable, informative and helpful. We met some great people on the trip, from many nations, who all got on well. When we were picked up the bus was very quiet but after a couple of stops the bus was buzzing. One slight downside. The sampling was a bit rushed at one of the stops.